Fighting Demons for Love
by Uruwashii Inochi
Summary: Now a trilogy! 3rd story to desert love and love comes on the wings of death. Quatre leaves Heero, sending him spiraling into depression and forcing him to confront his inner demons...however, Janice's arrival brings desperate news, Quatre is missing
1. Ch 1 Haunting Memories

I don't anything gundam wing! I do own Janice.

*WARNING!* GRAFIC CONTENT! *WARNING!* OOC

Ch. 1 Haunting Memories

He stood, staring at the door, his inner war slowly consuming him, tearing him. Part of him accepted the finality of Quatre's decision, while the other part screamed to go after him, drag the blond back, make him understand. Instead he stood stock still, utterly lost as to what was the right strategy for the situation. He lost all track of time then, didn't even acknowledge sinking to the floor. All he knew, all he felt, was pain; pain and fear. That dreadful, sickening feeling crept over him, filling him with darkness. His heart ached and he longed to rip it from his chest and throw it across the room. His insides were twisting, wrenching, knotting; tearing him apart. If he had thought almost losing Quatre before was painful, this, this was worse.

There was nothing but pain and emptiness like he had never known. The world faded away from him as he receded into himself. His whole world had just been obliterated in one, life long, moment. The one person he had come to trust and depend on, cared for, he had pushed away, gone. The gaping hole left behind was slowly consuming him, and he didn't care. Life without Quatre was meaningless…

(O)(O)(O)(O)

Quatre pulled the door shut behind him, then leaned against the cold, hard panel. It had been the hardest decision he had ever had to make. He had been living too long without the love, affection, and all the basics of a normal relationship. However, Heero had provided those things to the best of his ability, no matter how warped they may have been. Even with that knowledge, he couldn't stay with the man. Not only was it not physically healthy for him, but emotionally as well.

He sat down on the stairs just outside Heero's apartment, contemplating the consequences of his decision. Heero was, and in some ways, still is, a perfect soldier and while this would be hard on him, he would go on like he always did. For a brief moment, he thought he heard weeping coming from just beyond the door, but shook it off as quickly as it'd come. The perfect soldier did not cry. He stared down at the expensive tile on the stairwell; they were no longer lovers, but they could still friends, he hoped…

With a heavy sigh, he stood up and head out the front doors, pulling his cell from his back pocket to call for a car to pick him up. As the car pulled to a stop at the curb, Quatre cast one last, long glance back at Heero's apartment, before stepping into the car.

(O)(O)(O)(O)

Heero no longer slept, having horrific dreams of past memories that he couldn't seem to stop having. He had to have white noise running in the background twenty-four hours a day to keep from seeing the images behind his eyes. The reoccurring nightmare of Quatre's near death move to save him the other year….

It was clear as day, haunting him; the sound of the bullet leaving the barrel of Kain's gun, the soft thud of impact as it passed through Quatre's back, tearing skin and muscle, chipping bones to puncture through his lung and the fragments embedding themselves on the inside of his rib cage. The disgusting smell of seared flesh, cauterized by the heat of the bullet and hot barrel of the gun, punctuated by the horrible gurgling noise from a collapsed lung. Quatre's normally beautiful face, suddenly ash white and contorted in surprised pain, his gorgeous blue eyes going wide with fear, knowing the inevitable, then dulling as they lost focus, life fading from them. His failed attempt to cough up the blood now draining into his remaining lung, slowly suffocating him, what little had made its way into his mouth, slowly dribbled through the corner of his mouth, leaving a crimson trail down his chin. The way his body crumpled at his feet. Even now, he could still feel the dead weight of his limp body in his arms. The blood, there had been so much! It was everywhere, staining his shirt, drenching his hands and pooling on the floor.

Over and over it played! He couldn't hear it, feel it, see it, smell it! There was no escape; the images, tormented him day after day. And when it wasn't his death, it was the rape. That blood curdling scream, stopped his heart and made his blood run cold. That man's face would never leave his memory. The pure pleasure of it as he plunged into gentle Quatre's unwilling body, tearing him, abusing him! His soft, delicate skin, marred from the man's rough handling. The fact that he had been touched at all by someone other than him, made the nightmare worse. And on really bad days, he would find himself in the rapist's shoes doing unforgivable things to his lover's body.

His reaction to that sight frightened him almost as much as the rape itself. He had grabbed his lover's assailant and thrown him into the wall, repeatedly smashing his head into the wall, hearing, feeling, the bones giving way in the back of the man's skull. A feral instinct demanded release, that he provide the man with a slow, agonizing death. The slight satisfaction he had been graced with after he had twisted the man's head, snapping his neck like a twig, did nothing to appease the beast within. Quatre, strung up on the bed, no way to escape, no way to protect himself…

Quatre's many nightmares afterwards, screaming for him at odd hours of the night. Even his offered embrace of comfort triggered memories on Quatre's bad days. Their love life had been awkward at best for the longest time, Heero often the submissive in bed so that Quatre would have the control he needed to get deal with the lingering effects of his rape. At least Quatre had been able to deal with his, Heero had never really dealt with his own ordeal. Instead, he had chosen to leave Quatre to prevent him any further danger, and pain, that had obviously failed miserably.

Now, without Quatre to keep away the darkness, the outside world became nonexistent, curtains were closed, lights always off, his cell battery died, and his land line was disconnected from the socket. There was no concept of time and eventually, reality; nightmares becoming so vivid they BECAME his reality. They were there, always, sleeping or always, the images never left.

Heero knew he was slowly slipping into madness. The only thing holding him to what small amount of sanity he had left glinted maliciously against the white porcelain bathroom sink. Sanctuary. It scared, yet intrigued him.

Gently, he picked it up and ran the thin, sharp blade along the inside of his left wrist. His blood flowed slowly, pooling on the counter top, a sharp contrast to the white marble. He stood staring, in sick fascination for a moment, reveling in the sudden feeling of freedom. His tormentors, disappearing immediately as the blade touched his skin, again and again.

When he had sufficiently relieved himself of his burdens, he cleansed and dressed the wounds, then succumbed once again, to the darkening madness of his world. The never ending rape and torture, his and Quatre's alike, blending one into the other, one in the same, and eventually, there was no distinguishing one from the other, he lived through both.

(O)(O)(O)(O)

Days, weeks, months, he didn't know; everything blended into the same drawn out day. A one small link to the world came every once in a while in the form of a knock on the door, with no one there but a bag of groceries. He never knew who it was, or how much time had passed between visits, he just knew that someone, came and went.

Part of him started to resent Quatre; hate him for doing this to him, to them; but his own self loathing for being 01, the "perfect soldier", was far worse. He took it out on his flesh, carving daily reminders of how he had failed. He ate little to nothing at all, and drank even less.

It was odd, he didn't want to kill himself, but at the same time, didn't care what happened; just existed without existing. At some point, he vaguely wondered if anyone cared for him, but since there had been no contact from the other pilots, he squashed that thought immediately; however, once that thought had entered into his head, he couldn't stop dwelling on it.

His daily ritual continued as more and more of his flesh became disfigured. They weren't all on his wrists; many had migrated to his thighs, upper back, and in rare cases, his rib cage. It reminded him of the hell he suffered at the hands of Callum, but it was a lot less than the suffering Quatre had endured. The torture, rape, death, how did he ever deserve a man like that? The slow agonizing torture of his personal hell!

Then, one day, it all changed…

The customary knock on his door sounding alerting him that food had arrived, not that he ate much of it, but when he opened the door, Janice stood on the other side, her face torn between desperation and tears.

"Quatre is missing…..

(O)(O)(O)(O)

Ok, so I decided to make this one a trilogy! LMAO Ya I know, I said the last one was it, I lied. I should be fleshing this one out some more in the coming weeks if time allows. On to the next one!


	2. Ch 2 Old Friend, New Case

Ch. 2 Old Friend, New Case

If it was physically possible, Heero could have sworn his heart had fallen out of his chest. The black hole in his heart that had developed in Quatre's absence tore open violently and he had to force it aside; the news of Quatre overriding everything else. The silence stretched between them for what felt like an eternity, Janice's distraught showing plainly on her face, something was very wrong.

Seeing Heero for the first time in just a little over two months, Janice wished she had come to him sooner. The other pilots had decided to keep him out of the loop for as long as possible, hopefully allowing them time to locate the Sandrock pilot. She had known better, Heero should have been notified as soon as they had found out.

His appearance concerned her; pale, gaunt, he had obviously not been eating any of the food she had been delivering. His eyes held the deep rings of sleepless nights and troubled thoughts. The bandages on his arms worried her most, but she made no comment, just patiently waited until he could process what she had just told him. It took a moment before he stepped aside, a silent invitation for her entrance.

If Quatre was in trouble he wanted all possible information and if his normally collected secretary was this distraught, it had to be serious. He motioned her to sit on the couch while he took up residence on one of the stools at the counter, not trusting himself to be near another person at the moment. His training kicked in, on full alert and watchful of everything, from the most minute behavior to the obvious, he would miss nothing. He watched her calm body language, though her facial expressions proved she was anything but. With Janice here and not any of the other g-boys told him they didn't know she was here. That told him only one thing, they couldn't find Quatre, and they didn't want him to know. The slight shift in weight as Janice leaned more on her left hip told him she was ready.

"He went missing four months ago." Her voice was steady, even, not shaken at all.

_Has it really been that long?_ He thought.

"WuFei and Preventers have been working the small amount of evidence they have to go on. They're trying to profile the kidnapper to have some sort of idea why they kidnapped Quatre in the first place. Whoever did it didn't do it for the obvious reasons." She paused for a brief moment, probably to organize her thoughts.

"Duo and Trowa followed the trail but it went cold at L4. They have been following every lead the Preventer office can find, but they aren't having much luck."

He noticed that she watched him intently, her training in full gear, but she was waiting for something and he had an idea of what it was.

"Where?"

"From the front of you apartment…" hesitation, "the day he left."

His heart stopped, blood ran cold and he knew the blood had drained from his face. If he had gone after Quatre like he had wanted. If he hadn't been wrapped up in his own self pity he would have been more alert, would have known if someone was stalking Quatre. Whoever had kidnapped him had been researching Quatre for some time, especially if they were brazen enough to grab him in front of another pilot's apartment, especially his.

"I received this last night." She got up and handed him a crisp business-like card before sitting on the edge of the couch.

Heero took it almost fearfully before opening, but the contents surprised him more than he had thought.

We are hunting you…Was scrawled in perfect cursive across the inside of the card.

This was not what he had expected to see. His eyes flashed to hers instantly, unsure of what he would find there and what he did find was more shocking. She was embarrassed. His expression must have alerted her that he didn't understand her reaction.

"There have been several attempts on my life since this started, that note was unnecessary." She stared at her hands for a moment where they lay motionless in her lap before continuing. "I lied to WuFei and told him my apartment was vandalized. He moved me in to his place after the 5th, obviously failed attempt. I haven't shown him that either." She laughed bitterly. "If he knew I was here, he would probably kill me himself. I've been investigating into the attempts but I have no leads. And working Quatre's case on top of it..." she trailed off.

He stared silently, afraid of the resulting answer.

"I can't run both. One of them will have to go on hold."

That was one of the reasons she was so popular around Preventers and why she was a great agent. She put others before herself and worked everything that was given to her. He could tell by the wariness on her face and bags under her eyes how taxing this really was on her. This was no longer the Janice he had known, the one that had worked for him, with him, with Quatre. She was barely a shell of her former self, but she kept going like any good soldier would. All for Quatre. That struck a chord the he suppressed violently.

He needed to know all the inner workings of the case and there was only one person he could get that kind of information from. The one person Janice had discreetly kept pertinent information from, but he couldn't leave her alone, not after what she had told him.

"Hn." He responded. Heero watched as she removed herself from the couch arm to pace in front of the coffee table, running a hand through her normally impeccable hair, tousling it further.

"There has to be something I missed." She spoke more to herself than to him, but he kept silent. "I'm missing something, I know it." She whispered.

He could tell that both cases were eating at her constantly, most likely the cause of her current state. Like the best soldiers he had worked with, she probably spent all her waking hours hunting through clues and piles of information, dissecting every piece of evidence available; long tedious days with no results to show.

"Sit." He commanded his tone nonnegotiable.

She obeyed, collapsing wearily onto the couch.

Heero stood up from his perch and walked into his bedroom. He threw on the blue jeans he was so fond of and a long sleeved, fitted tee to hide his suffering before locating his tennis shoes. He yanked his cell phone off the dresser and turned it on for the first time in months. As predicted, there were no missed messages. He speed dialed Preventers and directly to the man he needed.

"My house, now." He didn't bother to announce who he was just hung up his phone. WuFei would know who it was, even if the call had surprised him.

Returning to the living room he found Janice passed out on the cushions. His assumptions were correct, she was burnt out. He opened his apartment door a fraction of an inch so WuFei wouldn't bother knocking, then took up residence on the bar stool again. It wouldn't be long before WuFei showed up. In fact he waited less than ten minutes before WuFei actually arrived.

He entered cautiously, gun drawn, but holstered it immediately when he saw Janice on the couch and Heero on the stool. He opened his mouth to question, but Heero motioned towards the bedroom. As soon as they had some privacy, Heero handed WuFei the card and watched as WuFei started.

"It's not mine."

Horror flashed across his face in mere seconds before his careful visage was back in place. Heero watched as he put the pieces into place.

"Her apartment?"

Heero nodded.

WuFei swore in a half dozen languages. "Why didn't she ever mention this?" he demanded, his anger aimed inwardly. "How could I have missed this? Everything was right in front of me, clear as day, yet I failed to put them together. What the hell is going on?"

From WuFei's rambling, Heero could tell the pilot was rattled. "I don't know, but it's tied to Quatre."

WuFei's head jerked in his direction, obviously unprepared for the statement.

"Janice told me. I assume Preventers has no leads on his current state either."

A low curse escaped before WuFei replied. "Not much, we know he was taken from the front of your apartment. The one lead he had ended at an abandoned railway station on L4. Trowa and Duo have been scouting the colony for any information regardless of how trivial it may be, but its leading us know where." He stared down at the note. "When did she get this?"

"Last night."

"I need to look at everything she's been researching."

Heero took his queue and retrieved his handgun from beneath his pillow as well as the extra clips from the dresser drawer. WuFei had already taken Janice to his car; the fact that she hadn't protested worried him. This situation was graver than he'd thought.

Standing in the doorway to his apartment, he took one last look around. There would be no coming back without Quatre; there was no life without him. Grabbing his laptop from the entry table, he shut the door resolutely behind him.


	3. Ch 3 Enemy Amongst Friends

Ch. 3 Enemy Amongst Friends

Heero watched as WuFei paced the length of the living room, something the 05 pilot never did. When they'd arrived, WuFei had put Janice to bed in his room, more concerned with safety than modesty. WuFei was aggravated that he hadn't picked up on her distress earlier. At the present, the only thing he could do was let the Chinese pilot work it out of his system.

While WuFei stalked the carpet, Heero relaxed on the large couch, head resting on the back cushions. The information was sparse at best, but there had to be something missing, some link. Quatre had been taken from his apartment building, so either they had been watched for some time, or it was someone they knew. The fact that Janice was also targeted told him whoever had taken Quatre had known he had partnered with Janice on his last assignment. There was also the possibility that the two were completely unrelated, but that was a slim possibility. Then there was the lack of clues, false trails leading Trowa and Duo in circles. That in itself was a lead. To send two well trained gundam pilots on a merry little chase meant this guy was knowledgeable, tactically inclined, and knew how Preventers worked.

The question was who knew each pilot on a personal level, how they worked, strategized, coordinated? Who knew every aspect of the Preventers organization, every agent, task force, assignment, and paired the agents? Who knew the personal lives of all the pilots and their whereabouts at any given time? His eyes snapped open as the realization him like a freight train. WuFei's pacing halted with the sudden movement.

"Janice." It was little more than a whisper but Heero knew WuFei would catch it.

"No." There was denial in his voice.

"It makes sense WuFei, think about it." Heero let time stretch between them while WuFei went through the motions. The defeated look on his face when he collapsed in the chair was heart wrenching.

"She knows everything." He admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She was able to hack your computer, has access to top security information at Preventers. The conclusion is sound."

"Is there any evidence that she is behind all of this."

WuFei thought for a moment. "It's all circumstantial. We would have to tie her to Quatre's disappearance." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Much as I hate to admit it, she's a logical suspect." He slammed his fist into the coffee table, splintering the wood as the end collapsed.

Heero watched patiently. This was foreign territory to him, if it were Quatre he would know what to do, but this was WuFei, and he had been betrayed by the one person he trusted most. It was a bitter realization, and betrayal was difficult in any form.

Without warning, the room was plunged into total darkness, any further discussion stopped.

"Proof enough?" WuFei ground out in a low hiss. "My security system was tripped from inside the house."

Instincts taking over, both pilots drew their weapons and kept them low. The layout of the house was instantly familiar, furniture location unchanged for just such an occasion. Heero counted the twenty steps that would bring him to the foot of the stairs, WuFei flanking him.

An eerie calm settle over the house making him uneasy. There should have been some kind of noise of an intruder, but there was nothing, just the sound of their calm, even breathing. He didn't like it, something was definitely wrong with the situation.

They crept up the stairs cautiously, sense flaring out to pick up even the slightest bit of information. The soft killing sound of a blade run through a body was barely discernable as they reached the landing. Crouched lower, they slowly passed the first room, careful to stay against the far wall. They didn't cross back over until they had come upon WuFei's room.

Heero took point, trusting WuFei to back him up should there be need. Letting out a slow, calming breath, he took the first step into the room, and stopped instantly. The carpet was soaked. Pulling his foot back slowly, he replaced it with his fingers, it was warm, and easily coated his hand. He brought his finger tips to his nose. Metallic. Blood, a lot of it judging by the depth it saturated the carpet. There had to be at least one body inside the room, possibly two. It was going to be difficult in total darkness. He located WuFei behind him to relay the information. The hitch in his breathing confirmed one of Heero's thoughts; one of the bodies may be Janice.

Slowly, he edged around the corner, staying close to the wall, trying to find the path of least resistance. His foot connected with something soft, their first body. He felt for a pulse and found none. The body also had short hair, it wasn't her. Heero continued to edge around the room, feeling his way through the dark while WuFei went for the security room.

Heero made it around the room without encountering another body, but close to the bed the carpet became drenched. He reached out tentatively in search of the second body. Blood soaked the bedding and coated his hand. He located the arm and followed it down to locate a pulse.

The last thing he expected was the arm to grasp at him followed by the familiar gurgling sound emanating from the body. His first instinct was to shoot, but he clamped down on it firmly. Whoever was in the bed was dying. Removing the bloody hand from his arm, he felt his way up towards the chest. If the situation hadn't been so serious, he would have blushed when his hand ran over the mound of a breast. There was a smooth puncture into the left lung that was gradually suffocating her.

Just then the lights flickered, and then turned on, blinding him momentarily. Taking a moment to allow his eyes to adjust, he stared at the woman on the bed. Long, dark brown hair now held a red tint. Blood flowed freely from the slit on her neck as well as the puncture wound in her chest. Her clouded eyes bore into his as the icy grip of death stole over her.

"Where the hell is Janice?" WuFei demanded, completely unphased by the damage done to his room.

Heero walked back around the bed, seeing for the first time just how much blood had really been spilled. It coated the bedspread to drip noisily into the puddle bellow. The second intruder had been dealt with in much the same way; it had been his blood Heero had encountered in the hall. It was smeared on the door and the wall by the bed. The amount of blood coagulating in the hall was too much for just one individual.

They followed the smeared hand prints down the hall into one of WuFei's spare rooms. The blood on the carpet increased the closer to the room they got. Tightening his grip on his gun, Heero entered the room. He found…..

Nothing.

No blood, no open window, no body, nothing at all. It was like whoever had come this way had disappeared into thin air.

"What the hell is going on?" WuFei demanded in frustration.

"I don't know." Heero responded, just as irritated as the Chinese pilot. Nothing made sense. He left the room and headed down stairs while WuFei contacted Preventers. Everything was chaos, the clues, the abduction of not just Quatre but possibly Janice as well, granted she wasn't behind all of this. Whoever was orchestrating the affair was definitely a pro, and what unnerved him further was this individual may be completely out of their league.


	4. Ch 4 So Many Questions, No Time to Ask

Ch. 4 So Many Questions, No Time to Ask

_Deprivation tank. _It was the only thing to compare it to. No sounds. No lights. Nothing. Total blackness in what could only be described as a cell. He wasn't even sure what the walls where made of; cold but not any type of metal or rock he had come across. Smooth textured, but there was no sound or identifiable smell to it either. There was no concept of time, no way to tell if days, weeks or months had passed. Meals were so sporadic they couldn't provide even the concept of what time of day it might be.

How much time had really passed? Had it been long enough for everyone to forget, were they even looking for him? Most likely, Heero had gone back to work, the perfect soldier, unphazed by anything, or anyone. The others would begin to wonder and look into his whereabouts, he hoped. Why hadn't they come for him then? Why hadn't they found him? Had Heero forgotten him so easily that he didn't notice his absence? Was it possible no time had passed at all and he was slowly but surely losing his mind?

(O)(O)(O)(O)

Heero went to the kitchen and washed the blood off his arms before returning to the couch. One of the safest houses he had ever known had been infiltrated and Janice was gone. Everything pointed to her, however, Preventers is thorough when they hire someone. They look into everything and have more connections that the American CIA, FBI and every other acronym agencies combined! So why were they setting her up? Or did she have a history like him and the other pilots? She'd managed to hack his system before, which says something about her abilities, yet they knew virtually nothing about her; even WuFei knew almost nothing about her. He would need to research into her background, but to do that, he would need to go back to his apartments, which at the moment was the safest place to go.

It had been less than 10 minutes when he heard the first sirens pull into the drive and less than 5 for the entire upstairs to be filled with the Crime Scene Investigation Unit. WuFei took charge providing his statement to one agent, while directing others to the mess upstairs.

Heero waited patiently for WuFei to finish with the Preventer agents as they conducted their investigation and collected evidence. Heero already knew what their analysis would reveal; security cut from the inside, 99% of the blood from the assassins and 1% possibly Janice's, but he wasn't entirely sure on that, but he would like to know how they got into the house. It wasn't through the doors or windows, those had their own backup systems specifically for incidents like this where the infiltrators took out the main power source. There were untouchable power sources to keep security running even when power to the rest of the house was out. Heero had collaborated with WuFei to set up the system. Duo had the abilities to hack the system but you'd have to plug in directly to the unit; it wasn't accessible remotely, and Duo was off planet with Trowa. Again, things pointed to Janice, but Preventers wouldn't have hired her, would they? Hell, they'd hired him! But it was stupid to become focused on just one person, especially if there were multiple people or they were concentration on the wrong person. It was best to keep your options open.

WuFei plodded back into the living room and collapsed into the open char, telling Heero just how weary he really was. He watched the usually proper Chinese pilot slouch in the chair, elbow on the arm rest with the same hand covering his eyes.

"They'll have something for us by morning. My house has been compromise, we can't stay here." WuFei stated bluntly, removing his hand from his eyes. They were cloudy with some emotion Heero couldn't place.

"I need to go to my apartment anyway." Heero replied, keeping it short and to the point as he stood.

"We can leave now; Preventers will be here a while then the cleanup crew." He signed before standing, "I'll get my equipment."

Heero watched WuFei walk defeated up the stairs and around the corner. It stood a good chance that WuFei was experiencing his first betrayal. During the war you naturally assumed everyone would betray you. With the war over you grow soft and eventually assume the worst in people less and less. It had happened to all of them, but that first unexpected betrayal was always the worst and it would transform to guilt if Janice was innocent and WuFei had considered her a suspect. Heero knew this conflict all too well. It did to the fact that WuFei cared for Janice, but how much was yet to be seen. You weren't this hurt if you weren't close to the person.

WuFei trudged down the steps one last time with a small bag consisting most likely of electronics and possibly a spare set of clothes. Heero made sure nothing on his face betrayed his thoughts, and followed WuFei out to the car. Silence filled the drive time from WuFei's residence to his apartment, but neither of them minded it, nor did they try to fill it. There wasn't much to discuss until they had some more intelligence and that was what Heero was going to get them.

It didn't take them long to move locations, WuFei parked in the only spot available then pulled his things from the car while Heero exited the passenger side. Heero greeted the evening security guard, Bert, as they made their way upstairs. On the landing outside the apartment, Heero know something was wrong. Turning the door handle slowly, he found it unlocked and let it go.

"Call Preventers, tell them to bring the Specials." Heero stated backing away a few feet.

WuFei complied and reported that the Specials would be there in 10. The Specials were a combination of S.W.A.T and Bomb Squad all rolled into one unit. Heero and WuFei could easily dispatch wherever was inside, but it would be messy and most likely cost lives. Believe it or not, he actually liked his neighbors. If anyone came out they'd take him, but they wouldn't go in and get innocent people killed.

The ten minutes it took the Specials to get there passed by at an agonizingly slow rate. When they did arrive, Heero and WuFei left, having decided to go to the Preventers office; the Specials would handle the situation here. On the way out, Heero meant to tell Bret to forward his mail but couldn't find him. He'd most likely been forced away from the scene since he, WuFei and his neighbors were even now being escorted away from the building, quietly. Luckily most of the residents worked for Preventers in some form or fashion and knew the value of silence. For the second time that night, they climbed into the car, destined for yet another location.

"This has been well planned." WuFei commented as they drove.

"They definitely know what they are doing. Someone desperately wants us out of the way and Quatre left unfound, but why, and who?" Heero replied thoughtfully.

"Better yet; what role does Janice play in all this? Is she involved or in the wrong place at the wrong time?" WuFei responded bitterly.

(O)(O)(O)

I know, a bit of a short chapter, but I have some good ideas on this story now so hopefully (with all the excess time I have at work) I will be able to post another chapters very soon! Hope you enjoy!


	5. Ch 5 The Past Can Haunt You

Ch. 5 The Past Can Haunt You

"Nice evening isn't it! Working late again boys?" George, the elderly night guard greeted them cheerfully. Everyone was boys or girls as far as George went, with the exception of Lady Une, he greeted her by title.

"As always." WuFei replied.

Heero said nothing, but proceeded through the lobby to the elevators while WuFei stopped to have a word with George about possible intruders and to set the alarm. Anyone working the skeleton crew had arrived two hours ago and wouldn't leave until around 4a. He held the door open as WuFei jogged over and slipped between the doors. Silence stretched between them once again, but there was no need for an explanation. The only sound was the chime as the elevator passed each floor before the bell dinged on the top floor and the doors opened.

They exited to the sounds of typing and a few people talking on the phone and an overall sense of relaxation. Heero led the way to the back, winding his way through a few cubicles to get to his personal office. He closed the blinds and shut the door while WuFei set up his laptop. Heero pulled his own out as well. I t had better security than his work computer, harder to trace and even harder to hack, if you could hack it at all.

While WuFei pulled all the files and cases Janice had been working on the past few weeks, Heero began researching into her past, before Preventers and preferably during the war. You don't train someone unless you need them, and she obviously had training; now what training he didn't know, but they'd seen hints. Preventer Agents were always ex-military.

The Preventer's database file showed a clear background check, no criminal history, etcetera, but it was superficial information you could get publicly. He delved deeper into the Preventer's database, hacking his way into some high security places, not that red and yellow level clearance was difficult. He learned she had gathered intelligence during the war, been the main source in fact. More specifically, she had collected black level information. That required more elaborate hacking to access black level clearance. The UESA (united earth sphere alliance) had known every step OZ had made, even the rogue scientists. She had single handedly constructed each pilot's file for Preventers. The database didn't specifically say it, but he was certain Janice had known everything about them during the war. She had known every detail of the war form both OZ and UESA. It would explain some of the intelligence he had received during the war.

He skimmed through the rest of the files but didn't get much more, just basic details on some of her missions, but they were minor. With his knew found knowledge brought the question, who had trained her? None of that was anywhere in the Preventer database. In fact, b3fore the war, she hadn't existed. He accessed the CIA, FBI, ESI (earth sphere intelligence) and a few other agencies but found nothing. He could disappear from the grid but even **he **was not **that **good. There was a paper trail; he just had to find it. He checked intelligence agencies from every country including their military departments. He even probed into the colonies' central intelligence and had no luck. After a few hours he was beginning to get frustrated. By now he should have found something, some small piece of information that would give him a direction.

Disgruntled, he shoved his laptop away from him and moved towards the coffee maker he kept in his office. Making coffee was a simple enough distraction to clear his mind; it would be a few minutes before the coffee was ready anyway. He paced slowly about the room, stretching sore muscles and working the tiredness from his legs. WuFei worked seemingly tirelessly on his own laptop, now sitting on the floor back propped against the sofa a cup of tea Heero had never seen him make, on the coffee table before him. He ran a hand haphazardly through his already disheveled hair trying to come up with another avenue of information. A person's past followed them around forever, information never really went away, not if you knew where to look for it. Then it occurred to him, OZ! Their information was still floating around in cyberspace; all he had to do was find it. It was a hell of a long shot, but who knew what information OZ had gathered before they were disbanded.

The coffee long forgotten, Heero sat back down and pulled his computer towards him. Duo was better at the cyberspace than he was, but it was the only chance he had. He went through UESA intelligence centers first, they were the most likely to have information on OZ. Why he hadn't thought of them before, he had no idea, and after a few minutes of searching through UESA he was able to find the trail to OZ. Unfortunately, OZ wasn't very organized, so sorting through all the impertinent details was a little time consuming, but worth his while.

OZ had discovered a single agency that had no name in OZ's database, nor did it belong to anyone faction. In fact, there wasn't much information on them at all, but what they did was what had intrigued him. They had been based on an orbiting space station that no one had claimed before, during or even after the war, though it had been destroyed during the war. It had been a military training station, recruiting mostly orphaned children around the ages of 10 and 11. Apparently, this battle school had trained Gundam Mechanics, Analytics, Strategists, Military Tactics and then some. When the war had broken out, they had provided soldiers in all fields to all sides, somehow managing to stay neutral and through the entire war. It wasn't until after that OZ had discovered the station and destroyed it, but not before downloading all information from the central intelligence system. It was here he learned as much as would ever know about Janice.

She had been recruited at the age of 11 and had taken classes that would set her up to become a S.O.A.M. (special operations analytical master). The first course she had taken was extensive combat training where she excelled in hand to hand, swords, pistols, rifles even sniper training, everything required to create an assassin. She also took mechanics of modern Gundams; while she was no mechanic, she could easily pilot or manipulate the programming. The analytics and tactical classes taught her to military strategy, analysis of any situation and the best outcome in addition to what supplies would be needed for the desired outcome. She had graduated top of her year 5 years later, around the time the war broke out and had excelled in every course she had ever taken. No wonder she worked for Preventers, and it certainly explained why she had been intelligence, but whose had she been given to? That was not disclosed by the central unit. They must have purposely chosen not to document such information.

He sat back in a stunned silence that must have showed on his face because WuFei asked, "What's wrong?"

"I was able to locate Janice's background, sniper training, pistol training, swords, dueling, unarmed combat, analytics, strategic, gundam mechanics, programming, special ops, the list is endless." Heero responded monotone, as if none of it affected him, even though secretly he was impressed. He pushed his laptop across the table so WuFei could read the transcripts.

"Whose side was she on?" He inquired when he had finished.

"It doesn't say, but UESA had more intelligence than OZ did. Double agent maybe?"

"Possibly, but she definitely has the training and the skill set to pull of the recent events." WuFei said dryly.

"That's true, but we can't rule out the possibility of another person, or there being an accomplice. Everything is circumstantial; this could all be a set up with her to take the fall."

"So we find out who she worked for and start there?"

Heero pulled the computer back towards him. "Yeah, I'll pass the information on to Duo and Trowa; they might have some more ideas on the situation."

"I agree. She hasn't been working on anything out of the ordinary either, just looking into recent leads found where Quatre was taken and into the last two guys who had come after you and Quatre. I'm not sure why they are important, the note maybe?"

"Possibly."

"It'll take more time, and probably Duo's skills, but her computer would have detailed information, if she used her work computer at all. She didn't bring anything to your house did she?"

"No, just groceries."

"Well that explains where she disappeared to every week."

Heero didn't respond. They had some clues into Janice's background, and so far she hadn't done anything to betray them, at least, not that they knew. Now, they just had to get a hold of Duo and Trowa and see what their insight might bring to the table.

(O)(O)(O)

I know, another short chapter, but I really wanted to get this posted! Roflmao.


	6. Ch 6 Revelation

Ch. 6 Revelation

Heero put a heavily encrypted file together and sent it to Duo. Janice's training had been hidden well, and with good reason! Her still set would be in high demand by leaders looking to overthrow other leaders. Comparatively, Preventers was a neutral position for her to take, but was she working for anyone else?

He went back through OZ's intelligence but couldn't find anything on her prior to battle school and even their files listed no parents, date of birth or her origins. It was possible she was a test tube baby, but they wouldn't have abandoned her to the streets. Someone would have raised her; personality isn't taught it's developed, encouraged and in Janice's case, allowed to flourish. Her personality didn't quite match her training, but that's what made her good, no would suspect her, until now. He still didn't believe she was behind it, but the more he learned, the more he doubted that belief. However, there was still no connection between her and Quatre's kidnapping, however, battle school explained how she had killed the assassins in WuFei's house without a sound.

He went back through her mission files; a close look showed they weren't actual missions. During the war she would disappear then turn up months later with information only to disappear once it had been delivered. She never had face to face contact with anyone with UESA. It did lead him to think she had been working for UESA, which was a good thing, in a sense.

In the Preventer's database he looked into the more recent missions she'd been on. Last year's mission with Quatre was on the list, but he had been through it before, there wasn't anything in it. She had gone out on several diplomatic missions, mostly to observe and collect intelligence. She had been to the colonies recently and had an incident where someone had mistaken her for a diplomat and attempted to assault her. Attempted because she had take him down without injury to either to them. There had been several eye witnesses to confirm her story. The man who had started the altercation, a Mr. B. Shanson had disappeared before the local authorities could arrest him. Janice hadn't had authority to detain him at the time. The name didn't ring any bells for him either. She had gone on a few code black missions that, of course, had no documentation what-so-ever. Mostly, she accompanied high standing diplomatic figures to 1. Insure their safety and 2. Find out personal information on them, who they talked to, their habits, family history, etcetera; everything an assassin would do. What he didn't understand was out of all the missions she'd been on, why had she been attacked on just that one occasion? The story about it being a case of mistaken identity was bull shit, he'd been sent to test her, especially since the woman Janice had been accompanying was a short, robust woman in her late thirties with blonde hair and is very well known amongst the earthlings and colonists. There had been no mistake, but why? And what did it have to do with Quatre? Then it hit him like a fifty pound sledge hammer.

"They want us." He stated matt-of-factly.

"What?" WuFei asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"They're after us. It explains why they took Quatre, why they infiltrated your house and my apartment; it even explains why Janice is missing. Whoever is behind this knew we would look into Janice, knew what we would find. Someone she knows is behind this." Heero's mind was racing now.

"That also explains why she was looking into last year's cases. The files have been hacked. She must have been trying to trace the hacker down, but it looks like it dead ends. The explains the note she received, they are trying to imitate another case, make her thing you guys missed a third accomplice last year."

"She was too smart for that. She find anything else?"

"No, she sidelined it to help with Quatre apparently."

"She told me she would. That must have happened recently."

"Yeah, we'll have to get her personal computer from my house and take it with us."

"Duo can hack it while we look into her past a little more thoroughly."

(O)(O)(O)

The following afternoon found them on a shuttle bound for the L4 colony. Duo had received Heero's file earlier in the day and had already started reading through everything, basically picking up where Heero had left off the previous night. No doubt he was hacking the same intelligence centers had had. Trowa was most likely constructing a timeline of when things happened; who she'd been involved with at the time, etcetera. They were a perfect pair when it came to things of this nature. Working in perfect synch.

That thought made him think of Quatre. How stupid had he been to let the best thing that had ever happened to him walk out the door that day? If he'd gone after him he wouldn't be missing, experiencing who knew what kind of unthinkable tortures. They'd already been through so much and watching Quatre nearly die before him had been unbearable, and part of his sanity snapped that day. The tormentors of past were long gone, they'd seen to that. Now there were new ones, there would always be someone; someone out to kill them, someone hunting them, it was an endless cycle.

Sighing, he stared out the shuttle window and caught his reflection in the glass. His skin was pale, with an almost grey tinge from lack of nutrition. His face was too thin to be his own. There were large circles under his sunken in eyes that appeared larger than they really were. His body felt weak and neglected. His wrists held permanently disfiguring scars and he didn't have to see the rest of the scars, he could feel them, but his own self loathing and guilty hatred towards Quatre and life in general had disappeared. If he wanted to be of any use, he needed to eat, be in shape and physically able to take care of himself.

He stopped the stewardess on her way by and ordered a full meal. Putting on weight was the easy part; rebuilding muscle tone would be harder. This would be his first full meal in who knew how long, but he would start small, so he ordered chicken, backed potato and some vegetables. He wasn't concerned about his body not being able to handle it; he didn't want to ingest too much fat. His body fat was good, just a little underweight and malnourished.

WuFei glanced at him when the food arrived, but his stoic expression betrayed nothing. He took his time, allowing his long deprived stomach time to adjust. His body relished every bite, savored it as though food would never taste this good again. When he had finished the meal, every part of him felt grateful, appreciative of the food. Being full reminded him of how tired he felt, how many sleepless nights he'd had. With the reaming dishes removed by the stewardess and his gun repositioned on his hip, he was finally able to relax and fall into a deep sleep.

He dreamt about the case, reliving the previous night's events in high definition, everything seemingly more vibrant, more intense then they'd originally been. The lights had gone out forcing he and WuFei to scout through the dark, the layout of the house stored in the back of their minds. There was a reason why they never rearranged their living quarters; never know when you'll have to fight in the dark and it pays to always know where everything is. The faint but distinct sound of a blade sliding out of flesh came from just ahead, but no footsteps. They moved in unison up the stairs and along the wall to WuFei's bedroom. He stepped in a pool of blood form one of the downed intruders. Reaching down, he felt no pulse and continued around the room to the far side of the bed. The body on the bed grabbed his arm when he went to find the pulse, but whoever it was, was already dying. The lights flickered and during the moment of temporary blindness he never saw the blade as it slipped between his ribs. When his vision cleared he was staring into Janice's dead eyes, her hand still wrapped around the hilt of her dagger. As time slowed, his life's blood flowing down her hand, he saw WuFei cradling Quatre's corpse in his arms before everything went black.

He woke with a start, gasping for air as if it had been more than just a dream. WuFei was standing next to him, a hand on his shoulder, concern evident on his face. It took a lot longer than it should have for his breathing to even out, allowing him to speak.

"What happened?" Even to him his voice sounded strangled.

"You stopped breathing for over a minute. What were you dreaming about?"

"Death." His voice was normal now, solid, devoid of all emotion, just like he felt, dead inside.

WuFei did what Heero respected most about him, walked away and didn't ask any questions. With his body back under control he drifted off into a light sleep, gradually slipping into a heavy, dreamless state.

He woke a second time as the shuttle began to dock. Reassuring himself that his gun was still secure, he collected his bag and followed WuFei out.

The landing dock was fairly empty, a nice change from Earth's congested shuttle bays. Another benefit is that shuttles arriving and shuttles departing are in separate locations, so all passengers were going the same way they were making their trek to pick-up that much easier. They stayed to the outside of the bustling passengers from other flights in a desperate hurry to get to the luggage claim and walked calmly out the front doors, bypassing the crowds as they went.

Duo and Trowa stood next to what must have been their rented vehicle, and of course, it was in Duo's favorite color, black. It looked like a derange SUV meets mid size truck that was awkward to look at. Heero didn't bother commenting on the, whatever-it-was vehicle and shook hands with Duo and Trowa, hoping he looked better now that he'd eaten. The look on Duo's face told him he was still looking bad, but not much; Trowa's face was expressionless, as usual.

Climbing into the SUV (though it was highly debatable), Duo turned around in the front see to stare at them while Trowa drove to what Heero assumed was the hotel. After what seemed like eternity of trying his patients, Duo finally spoke.

"I found something you're not going to like."

"Hn." If Duo was going to play games, he wasn't going to indulge him.

"Well, I went through the files, I found out who Janice worked for during the war."

Heero continued to stare at him blankly.

"She worked for Officer Melurik."

(O)(O)(O)

So here is the end to this chapter. If you read Desert Love, Officer Melurik was murdered for the things she did during the war. I never went into detail on about what exactly she did, but I will go into that further in the following chapter. Hope that clears up that possible confusion!


	7. Ch 7 Bed Jumping and TV

Ch. 7 Bed Jumping and TV

If it were possible, Heero paled. Officer Melurik had been the head of the Medical Research and Development center on the L3 colony. Not only had she been the leading researcher in molecular biology and bioengineering, she had also been the leading industry expert on biochemical warfare. Melurik and her team had created curse and vaccinations for some pretty heinous chemicals. However, Melurik had been neutral, supplying her talent to both the colonies and Earth, but once again, where did Janice fit in?

Duo must have read his mind by saying, "She was somewhat of a double agent. She spied on Oz to provide UESA with intel for warfare, while simultaneously collecting information from both on any biohazards they might have been developing. Obviously none of them were used, but Melurik had developed the strains to create resistance strains from it."

Heero thoughts on that a moment. "Have any of them been tested?"

"On animals, they could never get approved for human testing."

"What else did you find on Janice?" This came from WuFei.

"Nothing on bioengineering or biochemical warfare, if that's what you're asking.

Heero could almost feel the relief wash over WuFei. If there had been doubts before, they were gone now, leaving behind the carefully calculated '05 pilot.

"I have a theory." Duo stated, bringing everyone's attention back. "I think both of them were taken for the wrong reasons. Winner Enterprises had funded Melurik's research, Janice worked for Melurik. Now, whoever is behind this knew Janice worked for her, so they know Janice without a doubt. My guess is they took both thinking they knew the intricacies of Melurik's work and want that information to start another war.

"Maybe someone to fund the continued research?" WuFei wondered out loud.

"Heero said what everyone thought, but wouldn't say, "Or test subjects."

The car was eerily silent, thoughts turned dark and in some minds, dangerous. If they were testing on Quatre who knew what would happen when the remaining pilots got a hold of the guy. Heero was almost afraid of what WuFei might do if he cared for Janice as much as he thought he did.

The remained in silence the rest of the ride to the hotel, each one deep in their own dark thoughts. Trowa pulled into the underground parking bellow the Tripton hotel. It was fairly classy, but he guessed WuFei had pulled strings at Preventers and everything was paid for, everything, even the rental. Duo and Trowa had obviously taken advantage of the situation. Who was he to argue? It was nicer than his apartment and would allow him better working conditions and regularly cooked meals brought to him, which right now, was just as important as the mission they were on.

They followed Duo and Trowa's through the garage and into the elevator. Trowa had conveniently parked next to the nearest exit as well as the nearest stairwell in addition; their rooms were on the first floor right next to the stairs to the garage. Trowa had obviously planned the locations in case they had to leave in a hurry. Nothing like good old Gundam Pilot planning. Conveniently, their rooms were adjacent with a door between the two. Both rooms had two full bedrooms which would allow him privacy from WuFei. Both rooms had a full size bath, king size bed and walk in closet. The living room had a mini bar, large wrap around couch in the middle of the room facing the almost instantly large, wall mounted TV. The doors to Duo and Trowa's adjoining room were to the left of the television and currently open.

"For being a 4 star hotel, their maid service is deplorable." WuFei commented as he exited the room he'd claimed for the duration of the stay.

"Sorry, that was my fault." Duo replied.

WuFei stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Duo looked slightly embarrassed. "I, um, was testing the firmness of the mattress?" he half stated, half questions.

"You had sec in my bed!" WuFei yelled a little too loudly.

"Hell no!" Duo looked offended. "I was jumping on it! Geez, there's a lot of things I'll do; having sex in a friend's bed ISN'T one of them!" Duo stalked back to his room mumbling under his breath.

WuFei slammed the door to his own room, Heero assumed to make the bed.

Heero looked at Trowa's blank face, but caught the laughter in his eyes. No doubt, he had shared in Duo's endeavor. Trowa shrugged and followed his lover into their suite, closing the door behind him. Heero went to the remaining room to find his bed a mess as well. Inwardly, he smiled, if Quatre had been here, he and Duo would have had a field day. The beds would have been in worse condition and most likely the couch as well.

He tossed the small bag of clothes on the bed; they were his spares from the office, he would need to replace them when he got back. Stretching, he pulled off his shirt before ordering room service.

While the shower heated up, he took a good look at himself in the mirror. He looked gaunt, not terribly so, but enough that it was obvious he hadn't been eating enough. His body had lost most of its muscle tone and would take months of reconditioning to get it to the state it was previously in. Worse still, the scars stood out in raised white lines on his arms and ribs. He already knew the ones on his thighs would look similar, though they wouldn't stand out as much since his legs were white, almost never seeing the light of day; his upper body still clung stubbornly to its tan.

He stared into the mirror until the steam fogged it up before removing his jeans and stepping into the shower. The hot water scalded his almost too cool skin for a few moments until his body heated up. If his body couldn't regulate its temperature, he was in worse shape than he'd thought. Grabbing the shampoo he lathered up his hair then scrubbed down his body. As the suds slid off his skin and down the drain, so did a lot of the tension he hadn't known he had been carrying.

His muscles moved a lot more freely than before as he dried and used the lotion. Lack of proper nutrition made his skin dry and tight, he needed it flexible for his workout in the morning. Dressing in his spare jeans, hunter green t-shirt and his glock secured inside the inner pant holster at his back, he wandered back into the living room feeling safer with the gun.

Room service had arrived while he was showering and it was way more than any ONE man could eat, well, except maybe Duo. He seemed to have a bottomless pit for a stomach. Placing his laptop on the table he began his selection of food. It had been a few hours since his last meal, and now that his stomach had, had a taste of food, it wanted more.

He took a few slices of pot roast, seasoned potatoes, variety of vegetables and a slice of cheese cake. He had barely taken his first bite when Duo barged in; he was beginning to think the adjoining rooms were a bad idea. Duo helped himself to some food and took a seat on the couch to his right.

"I thought I smelled food." He said shoveling large amounts of food into his mouth.

Heero didn't really mind, there was enough food for all four of them. The Tripton didn't do anything small apparently. He turned his thoughts inward, savoring the taste of the pot roast, the texture of the different foods and their own unique flavors. Every part of him felt alive and energized. He had been so stupid; allowing himself to become so weak, any junior assassin could have picked him off. He continued berating himself silently until the click of the television pulled him from his thoughts.

"Sorry, do you want it off?" Duo asked reaching for the remote.

Heero clamped down on his hand almost violently.

He stared at the green tinged screen, the body on the floor. The camera feed was in night vision, slightly distorting the room's finer details, but nothing about the room really stood out to make it recognizable; just plain smooth walls and floor with what looked like a drain in the middle. The body he recognized, he had seen it so often he would have been able to identify it with his eyes closed. Vaguely he was aware that Duo was yelling.

(O)(O)(O)

So here is yet another chapter. I know, they have been short, but if I don't break them up, it'll take you at least an hour to get through any of it lol. I am already part way done with chapter 8, not sure if I will be able to get that one up tonight or not.


	8. Ch 8 Spied On

Ch. 8 Spied On

Trowa and WuFei entered the room ready to kill but killing wasn't need. Duo needed rescuing! Heero's grip on his hand was on the verge of breaking bones and Duo couldn't break free. Trowa began prying Heero's fingers back one at a time trying to relieve some of the pressure when Duo suddenly stopped struggling. The look on his face caught even Trowa off guard. Trowa and WuFei turned simultaneously towards the screen.

"Quatre." Heero whispered, just saying his name sent goose bumps across his flesh. He watched intently for movement, but none came, he just lay there, still as death. No, he wouldn't even think it; Quatre was strong. So entranced by the footage that he never noticed Trowa prying his hand from Duo or WuFei running to his room to return with cables.

WuFei plugged the cables into the television while Duo hijacked the laptop and started hacking the feed, while he, Heero Yuy, the perfect soldier did nothing, arm still extended to where Duo's are had been. Shock, anger, guilt and several other nameless emotions kept him frozen, unable to function. Quatre, HIS Quatre was there right in front of him yet so far away and who knew what had been done to him. Duo may hold the title God of Death, but when he got a hold of this guy, Duo would look like a saint.

"He's bouncing the signal." Duo stated angrily as he typed vigorously.

Heero barely acknowledge the comment, he was too busy studying the room, his lover's motionless body when text flashed across the screen.

"You'll never find them." Duo read as it flashed across the laptop.

The feed changed to another room, identical to Quatre's, another body on the floor face down in a dark pool. The long hair was a dead giveaway, Janice. The dark pool obviously blood, but how much was her's and how much was from the assassin's she'd killed?

WuFei's body had jerked ever so slightly, but the stillness of his body betrayed him; WuFei was in as much shock as he was. Even though his face exuded calm, Heero could read the regret and seething anger in his eyes. This bastard would pay dearly for what he'd done, along with anyone who had helped him.

"I can't get a fix on this guy!" Duo complained in frustration.

_YOU CAN'T TRACE ME. _The words flashed on the screen.

"Then this is live." Trowa stated, still standing next to Duo.

"More than that, he's in Heero's system!" Duo sounded dismayed but immediately went to work while talking to himself. "I might not be able to trace the feed, but I can track his ass in the system."

Heero looked away to watch Duo who continued to mumble about defenses to keep the hacker out, viruses that would automatically attack the hacker should he hack any further. Duo even commented on how the hacker had even gotten through Heero's defenses anyway.

"Shit!" Duo swore quietly as he sank back into the cushions.

Heero's heart leapt into his throat wondering how much information they'd got. These guys had to be good to hack his system so fast. Even Duo and Janice had taken a while to get through his security measures.

"He's not in the system." He whispered.

"What?" WuFei had finally become aware of his surroundings.

"He's not in the system." He repeated.

"Then he's watching us." Trowa stated calmly, his voice devoid of all emotion.

_HA! HA! HA! _Sprung up on the screen before going blank momentarily then, the normal station came on.

"The feed might not have been live, but the room is bugged." Duo was standing now, searching the room.

WuFei left without a word while Trowa and Heero began debugging the room. He'd been watching the entire time, listening to their conversations and who knew what else. The upside was this guy obviously wasn't talented enough to hack a computer either he or his connections could hack the television and bug a room. That was a start.

Heero sat back down at his computer, picking up where Duo had left off. Duo had been right, the guy had bounced the feed all over the place, it would be dam near impossible to trace. If they had more time it would have been possible, but time was something they obviously lacked. Now, Duo had been looking for major hacking like downloading information, hijacking the system, et cetera, but what about something subtle like a watch program that tracked his movements, things he looked at. What he found instead was not only a watch program but a hack program that gave the illusion someone was hacking while the first program tracked his movements.

He started writing his own security program to seek record then destroy any foreign access and send it out. If they had put such a program in place, he would find it, but for the moment all he could do was wait and see what his program could find. Meanwhile, WuFei had returned, a clip board in his hand. He sat down on the couch and began scanning the documents.

"What you got WuFei?" duo inquired, pulling yet another surveillance device from a picture.

"The hotel's list of cleaners, waiters, delivery personnel, et cetera in addition to time sheets for the cleaning service. Anyone who has access to our rooms in the past two weeks.

"How'd you get that? They don't give up stuff like that easily. You pull a gun on the manager?" Duo added the last part jokingly, a small attempt to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I did."

"Seriously?" It was obvious Duo thought the Chinese pilot was above such acts.

"Yeah, went to his office, he refused, I pulled a gun and threatened him with obstructing an interplanetary agent's duties."

"That worked? Dam, wish I'd thought of it." Duo threw the tiny camera on the floor and crushed it under foot. "We need to just change rooms, that's seven so far, who knows how many are in here."

"Preventers is sending a team to debug the rooms, the manager has already upgraded us."

"Should we trust them?"

"Yeah, they wouldn't have known what rooms we'd be in until we booked them. Besides, there isn't much we can do about it at this point if we are dealing with hackers. They're bound to find us at some point." WuFei replied.

Heero knew WuFei was leaving out important information and for good reason. The Preventers team would debug the new room as well, which was also why WuFei hadn't specifically mentioned the new location. There was more to the list than WuFei had told them. The kidnappers were either really good or really stupid. His laptop beeped indicating it had finished its scan and nothing had been found. He was beginning to think these guys were amateurs, not the pros he'd originally given them credit for, just lucky sons of bitches.

They went to their respective rooms to collect their things before vacating the hotel all together. A Preventers agent was waiting in the parking garage with a replacement vehicle; the team had already stripped their previous rental down. At least the new vehicle was a normal SUV of sort, black and as plain looking as you could get, was even a few years old.

They all climbed in, WuFei in the driver's seat and set off for some destination only WuFei knew. He handed the clip board to Heero, who sat in the passenger seat.

"This also contains a list of guests who stayed in the room. The team tearing apart the car will collect the surveillance footage as well. They also gave me these." He handed Heero an envelope.

Heero already knew it contained the DNA results from WuFei's house. The pools of blood on the carpet and bed belonged to the intruders, what surprised him was that almost a quarter of what they had found belonged to Janice, including the section that led down the hall. That made no sense at all. With her training, it should have been way less than that, if any at all. So what had gone wrong?

"She didn't kill them." He stated bluntly.

"What do you mean, she didn't?" Duo demanded, scooting to the edge of his seat. He had obviously hacked Preventer's database and gotten the details.

"If she'd killed them, there'd be less of her blood." Heero handed the folded paper to Duo who scanned it quickly.

"So you're saying one of the intruders killed his accomplices."

"Hn."

"Then how'd they get her body out? There weren't any foot prints, no open windows, nothing." WuFei commented.

"That I haven't figured out, but she was probably wounded before the accomplices were killed. Maybe when she entered the hall while they came into the room." Duo theorized.

Even to Heero Duo's theory made no sense, but it was Duo's process and it had worked for him so far. He listened quietly as Duo made other seemingly random suggestions but Heero knew he was stringing along events and information to create a story line that would account for all the information they had so far. He would let Duo figure it out, at the moment he had the image of Quatre still on the cell floor burned into his head. The camera had been too far away to see if he was breathing, that's what unnerved him the most and the amount of blood on the floor in Janice's cell. If it was in fact her's, they were running out of time, fast. Between the house and cell, how much had she lost? The only lead they had was in his hands. It seemed so small yet so monumental at the same time. With the papers and her history they had all the information they needed, it was just a matter of finding it. What he really needed was a quiet place to sit and read.


End file.
